The most current wave of WWE rumblers --I was going to pick up the Rock and HHH set- till I saw the price of 9.49-half the wave is repaints and repacks-- there is just no excuse for this price.

THese were the normal level of arm- only articulation figures-- I understand wrestling may still be a hot property- but I got into collecting that scale because they were cheap and still had good detail, not paying the same price as one larger AF-- they pushed this trend over the 7.50 line with their Toy Story line and I dropped that at the time-- because you could still find Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad with regularity for 6.00..

The new Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad have more articulation and are cheaper, Bandai has that new Ben 10 line and its cheaper, Scooby Doo mystery mates are still 5.00, Even Mattels own Action League and FP Imaginext is cheaper..

Yes I know they are a large must make profit company but I really think they are pricing themselves out of every market.

_________________Fastest know derailer of threads in the know universe...expanded or otherwise.

I agree that prices are getting out of control. The MSRPs are usually bad enough as it is, but the extra cost certain stores tack on is nothing short of insulting.

What astounds me is how toy companies and retailers think people can afford to keep paying higher and higher prices, especially for less value. If salaries are not rising at the same rate as luxury items (e.g. toys), then who can afford to buy these things? And if no one is buying, what company is going to keep making them? People are forced to be more selective in their buying habits, leaving more figures on the shelf or until they hit clearance prices or discount stores. By failing to find a less-expensive way to manufacture their wares and compete on an international level, American toy companies are essentially putting themselves out of business. There are so few quality lines and figures left here that more of my money goes toward only slightly more expensive at this point and infinitely better Japanese toys.

A lot of collectors in America can barely find the figures they're looking for in stores, and when they do, it's often for a price so inflated as to make the product nearly undesirable. Target is now the only place I buy American toys, with the exception of the occasional item off Amazon, or if Walmart or TRU twists my arm with an exclusive I can't get anywhere else.

What I don't understand is what toy companies' long-term business plan is. At the production level and with the way many current lines are being stocked, how can kids, dependent on their parents' budget and mobility, ever hope to build a figure or complete a set? It just means that money will go somewhere else. If kids can't find toys because of empty pegs or the presence of only one character, or can't afford them because of cost, they are not likely to develop a love for action figures. When these kids grow up, and we're all geriatric, it will be interesting to see how many collectors companies like Mattel or Hasbro will have. You reap what you sow...

I'm really hoping you are wrong J1H. I'm really hoping that I can help my little guy find a balance between everything. Be it toys, gaming or sports. Right now he watches me play my 360, but he seems more interested in his toys at the moment. I'm hoping that continues. I kind of get what you're saying and agree(sadly) that this is the direction of parents who are too lazy to raise their kids. Anyway, I'll stop myself there or I'll go on a rant about the amount of people not ready to be parents getting knocked up too soon in life. I will say that the crazy prices have made me a more frugal shopper when it comes to my collecting and we're trying to pass that down to our son. Especially now that we've jumped from Thomas Take 'N' Play to the Trackmaster stuff

And another interesting question, is what will happen to animation when the toys eventually stop?

In my humble opinion...

1. Animation will become more girl friendly (ala Teen Titans Go, whose new approach is basically a riff of the Power Puff Girls format.) And the toys will have to follow suit. Which makes sense on account that girls are half the market, and on average, tend to come into the gaming scene later in life. The only problem lies with the Toy Companies and their set-in-stone archaic notion of Boy-Girl toy divisions.

2. The development & release of Video Games like Young Justice Legacy has to happen sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it will be too little, too late.

Mattel drove me all but completely out of the hobby a couple years ago. Just cant justify it. The increased price alone was a wakeup call but when the quality drops so far there is no defense (not counting various other flaws and issues Mattel has displayed over the years). They can claim claim production / distribution cost increases all they want, yes the economy has impacted everything but the reality is this is what happens when these things became "Collectables" instead of "toys".